System and method for providing a marketing presentation

ABSTRACT

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a web page can be dynamically created by a non-technical person. A technical person can set up a web page and incorporate marketing object containers. A non-technical person, such as a marketing person, then decides what marketing object to put into the various marketing object containers. Style templates, marketing campaigns, and various items associated with the campaigns may be used to create or change the web page. According to an embodiment of the present invention, these marketing object containers may be dynamically associated with different marketing object at different times.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/175,869, entitled A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A MARKETINGPRESENTATION, filed Jan. 12, 2000, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 09/483,388,entitled A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A DISTRIBUTED MARKETINGPRESENTATION, filed Jan. 13, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic commerce. In particular, thepresent invention relates to presenting information related to marketingfor use with a computer system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Although a commercial presence over the Internet is becoming standard,it is still very expensive and requires software experts to create andmaintain a commercial website. A typical scenario may require amarketing group to create and maintain a marketing presentation but themarketing people are typically unable to directly incorporate theirpresentation. It is typical for the marketing personnel to notifytechnical personnel who can then create a new website or update acurrent website according to the directions given by the marketingpersonnel. In doing so, the technical personnel typically hard codes theinstructions. Accordingly, the marketing personnel is a step away fromthe final creative product. Due to the high cost and complexity ofrequiring a technical personnel to hard code each change to an existingweb page or to hard code a new web page, the marketing personnel may bediscouraged from making regular changes to the web page. This reluctanceto make regular changes to the offering may place the electroniccommerce merchant at a disadvantage to a traditional competitor since,in a traditional store, daily specials, weekly specials, and seasonalcampaigns such as Christmas gift advertising are commonly used.

It would be desirable to allow non-technical personnel, such as amarketing person, to create and update a web page, such as a marketingweb page. The present invention addresses such a need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a web page can bedynamically created by a non-technical person. A technical person canset up a web page and incorporate marketing object containers. Anon-technical person, such as a marketing person, then decides whatmarketing objects to put into the various marketing object containers.Style templates, marketing campaigns, and various items associated withthe campaigns may be used to create or change the web page. According toan embodiment of the present invention, these marketing objectcontainers may be dynamically associated with different marketingobjects at different times.

A method according to an embodiment of the present invention forproviding an electronic marketing presentation is presented. The methodcomprises displaying a marketing object container; associating anattribute with the marketing object container; and selecting at leastone marketing object for being associated with the marketing objectcontainer.

A method according to an embodiment of the present invention forcreating a marketing presentation in a display medium is also presented.The method comprises defining the location and size of a marketingobject container in the display medium; associating a marketingattribute with the marketing container, the marketing attributeincluding parameters that define how the marketing object container canbe used in a marketing presentation; binding at least one marketingobject to the marketing object container; and displaying the marketingobject in the marketing object container in accordance with theparameters of the marketing attribute.

Another method according to an embodiment of the present invention forcreating a marketing presentation in an interactive medium is presented.The method comprises displaying a marketing object container on adisplay medium; in response to a selection of the marketing objectcontainer, displaying a number of campaigns that are available toassociate with the marketing object container; selecting a campaign toapply to the marketing object container; displaying a plurality ofoffers that are compatible with the selected campaign; and selecting atleast one offer for placing in the marketing object container.

A system according to an embodiment of the present invention forproviding an electronic marketing presentation is also presented. Thesystem comprises a processor configured to display a marketing objectcontainer. The processor is also configured to facilitate associating anattribute with the marketing object container; and selecting at leastone marketing object for being associated with the marketing objectcontainer. A memory is coupled with the processor, the memory beingconfigured to provide the processor with instructions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, andin which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a general purpose computer system 100suitable for carrying out the processing in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system architecture diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation for use with acomputer system.

FIGS. 4 a-4 b are flow diagrams describing an example of a processoccurring in connection with a template processing engine.

FIG. 5 is an example of a web page as shown to someone authorized tochange the web page according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 a-6 b are flow diagrams further describing events between steps410-412 of FIG. 4A according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 a shows an example of a feature binding table according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 b shows an example of a feature table which lists offersassociated with a particular feature according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 shows an example of relationships between items according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is another example of a feature table according to an embodimentof the present invention, specifically for cross sell.

FIG. 10 shows an example of dynamic binding according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for describing interrelationships between marketingobject containers.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation using amanagement console.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation using a stagingserver.

FIG. 14 is a system architectural diagram according to anotherembodiment of the present invention for providing a marketingpresentation.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of method according to another embodiment ofthe present invention for providing a marketing presentation.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of method according to another embodiment ofthe present invention for providing a marketing presentation.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of a method according to another embodiment ofthe present invention for providing a marketing presentation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skillin the art to make and to use the invention and is provided in thecontext of a patent application and its requirements. Variousmodifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may beapplied to other embodiments. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and features describedherein.

Although the present invention can be applied to any content for anytype of website, the following description uses an example of amarketing website with marketing content for illustrative purposes only.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a general purpose computer system 100suitable for carrying out the processing in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates one embodimentof a general purpose computer system. Other computer systemarchitectures and configurations can be used for carrying out theprocessing of the present invention. Computer system 100, made up ofvarious subsystems described below, includes at least one microprocessorsubsystem (also referred to as a central processing unit, or CPU) 102.That is, CPU 102 can be implemented by a single-chip processor or bymultiple processors. CPU 102 is a general purpose digital processorwhich controls the operation of the computer system 100. Usinginstructions retrieved from memory 110, the CPU 102 controls thereception and manipulation of input data, and the output and display ofdata on output devices.

CPU 102 is coupled bi-directionally with memory 110 which can include afirst primary storage, typically a random access memory (RAM), and asecond primary storage area, typically a read-only memory (ROM). As iswell known in the art, primary storage can be used as a general storagearea and as scratch-pad memory, and can also be used to store input dataand processed data. It can also store programming instructions and data,in the form of data objects and text objects, in addition to other dataand instructions for processes operating on CPU 102. Also as well knownin the art, primary storage typically includes basic operatinginstructions, program code, data and objects used by the CPU 102 toperform its functions. Primary storage devices 110 may include anysuitable computer-readable storage media, described below, depending onwhether, for example, data access needs to be bi-directional oruni-directional. CPU 102 can also directly and very rapidly retrieve andstore frequently needed data in a cache memory (not shown).

A removable mass storage device 112 provides additional data storagecapacity for the computer system 100, and is coupled eitherbi-directionally or uni-directionally to CPU 102. For example, aspecific removable mass storage device commonly known as a CD-ROMtypically passes data uni-directionally to the CPU 102, whereas a floppydisk can pass data bi-directionally to the CPU 102. Storage 112 may alsoinclude computer-readable media such as magnetic tape, flash memory,signals embodied on a carrier wave, PC-CARDS, portable mass storagedevices, holographic storage devices, and other storage devices. A fixedmass storage 120 can also provide additional data storage capacity. Themost common example of mass storage 120 is a hard disk drive. Massstorage 112, 120 generally store additional programming instructions,data, and the like that typically are not in active use by the CPU 102.It will be appreciated that the information retained within mass storage112, 120 may be incorporated, if needed, in standard fashion as part ofprimary storage 110 (e.g. RAM) as virtual memory.

In addition to providing CPU 102 access to storage subsystems, bus 114can be used to provide access other subsystems and devices as well. Inthe described embodiment, these can include a display monitor 118, anetwork interface 116, a keyboard 104, and a pointing device 106, aswell as an auxiliary input/output device interface, a sound card,speakers, and other subsystems as needed. The pointing device 106 may bea mouse, stylus, track ball, or tablet, and is useful for interactingwith a graphical user interface.

The network interface 116 allows CPU 102 to be coupled to anothercomputer, computer network, or telecommunications network using anetwork connection as shown. Through the network interface 116, it iscontemplated that the CPU 102 might receive information, e.g., dataobjects or program instructions, from another network, or might outputinformation to another network in the course of performing theabove-described method steps. Information, often represented as asequence of instructions to be executed on a CPU, may be received fromand outputted to another network, for example, in the form of a computerdata signal embodied in a carrier wave. An interface card or similardevice and appropriate software implemented by CPU 102 can be used toconnect the computer system 100 to an external network and transfer dataaccording to standard protocols. That is, method embodiments of thepresent invention may execute solely upon CPU 102, or may be performedacross a network such as the Internet, intranet networks, or local areanetworks, in conjunction with a remote CPU that shares a portion of theprocessing. Additional mass storage devices (not shown) may also beconnected to CPU 102 through network interface 116.

An auxiliary I/O device interface (not shown) can be used in conjunctionwith computer system 100. The auxiliary I/O device interface can includegeneral and customized interfaces that allow the CPU 102 to send and,more typically, receive data from other devices such as microphones,touch-sensitive displays, transducer card readers, tape readers, voiceor handwriting recognizers, biometrics readers, cameras, portable massstorage devices, and other computers.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention further relate tocomputer storage products with a computer readable medium that containprogram code for performing various computer-implemented operations. Thecomputer-readable medium is any data storage device that can store datawhich can thereafter be read by a computer system. The media and programcode may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes ofthe present invention, or they may be of the kind well known to those ofordinary skill in the computer software arts. Examples ofcomputer-readable media include, but are not limited to, all the mediamentioned above: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical mediasuch as floptical disks; and specially configured hardware devices suchas application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logicdevices (PLDs), and ROM and RAM devices. The computer-readable mediumcan also be distributed as a data signal embodied in a carrier wave overa network of coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable codeis stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Examples of programcode include both machine code, as produced, for example, by a compiler,or files containing higher level code that may be executed using aninterpreter.

The computer system shown in FIG. 1 is but an example of a computersystem suitable for use with the invention. Other computer systemssuitable for use with the invention may include additional or fewersubsystems. In addition, bus 114 is illustrative of any interconnectionscheme serving to link the subsystems. Other computer architectureshaving different configurations of subsystems may also be utilized.

FIG. 2 is a system architecture of an embodiment of the presentinvention. This architecture is shown to include a web server 204, anadapter 206, a template processing engine 208, a staging server 210, amanagement console 214, a production server 212, plug-in components 220,a data bridge 216, and an external database 218.

In this embodiment, a shopper 200 or a merchant 202 can access a websitevia the web server 204. Commands given by the shopper 200 or merchant202 through the web server 204 may be translated by the adapter 206 andfed into the template processing engine 208. The template processingengine 208 can interact with the production server 212 to providerequested information. Examples of requested information include objectsto be displayed in the web page, a template for the web page, and astyle for a particular campaign associated with the object being shown.

The template processing engine 208 can process popular standardscripting languages such as Java Script, Microsoft Visual Basic Script,Microsoft Active Server Page (ASP), PERL, Sun's Java Server Page (JSP).Accordingly, a marketing object container can be inserted into a webpage by using a standard scripting language.

The production server 212 communicates with the template processingengine 208 and can handle processes for marketing campaigns, advertisingscheduling, priorities, profile matching for personalization, andfeatures. The production server 212 can be extended with Java plug-incomponents 220 which allows customization of the production server 212to fit various merchants' needs.

The production server 212 may also interact with the data bridge 216,which in turn may interact with an external database 218, such as thatprovided by Oracle. Examples of the external database 218 includeOracle, Sybase, Microsoft SQL server, and IBM DB2. The data bridgeestablishes the data connectivity to merchant's external data sourcessuch as product catalog data in an enterprise resource planning (ERP)system. Using a data bridge 216 allows flexibility to the merchant 202to choose the type of database to use with the rest of the architecture.Additionally, the data bridge 216 can be used to connect to otherapplications such as legacy applications for the merchant 202, or beused as an extensible markup language (XML) interface.

The production server 212 may interact with plug-in components 220 suchas Java plug in components. These Java plug in components 220 may becomponents provided by a user of the production server, such as themerchant. For example, the Java plug-in components 220 may be a datamining tool such as that produced by NetPerceptions.

The merchant 202 may access the management console 214 through the webserver 204. The management console 214 is an interface for the merchant202 which can look like a website to access the production server. Themanagement console 214 allows the merchant 202 to interact with theproduction server 212 and the staging server 210 to create or modifyofferings made to the shopper 200. Examples of the web server 204include Microsoft Internet Information Server, Netscape EnterpriseServer, and Apache.

The adapter 206 integrates the web server 204 to the rest of thearchitecture. When a command for the marketing object container isreceived through the web server 204, the adapter 206 is invoked and ittranslates the command and invokes the template processing engine 208.The advantage of using an adapter 206 is that it allows the system to beindependent of different web servers 204 and different standardscripting languages. Additionally, the adapter can also be adapted toprocess additional functions such as session management. For example,the adapter 206 can be used to create a cookie to associate with a userfor a session information.

The staging server 210 may be used to test out a marketing offering or amarketing campaign prior to making it available to the public throughthe production server 212.

Further details of the functions of the various components of thearchitecture shown in FIG. 2 are later discussed in conjunction with theremaining figures.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation for use with acomputer system. A marketing object container and icon are displayed(step 300). A marketing object container, as referred to herein,includes a marketing location for receiving marketing objects to presentto a user of an interactive medium, such as a networked device. Thesemarketing object containers can be used by an authorized user, includinga non-technical user such as marketing personnel, as reusable locationsfor objects to be presented, such as objects that are part of amarketing presentation. Examples of an interactive display mediuminclude the Internet web browser, interactive television, public kiosks,cellular phone, PDA, and multimedia devices. A marketing objectcontainer may include program codes, such as HTML code, that identifiesa location and size of the marketing object container on a display area,for example, a web page. The marketing object containers can be definedby any descriptors in any coding tool for use in any display medium.

Marketing attributes are then presented (step 302). Marketing objectcontainers can be associated with marketing attributes that describe,for example, what marketing objects can be received by the marketingobject container, the relationship of a particular marketing objectcontainer to other marketing object containers, or the timing andpriority of the display of marketing objects. A marketing object is anyoffering that can be presented in a marketing object container. Examplesof marketing objects include products offered for sale or rent, offeredservices, and property for sale or rent.

Examples of a marketing attribute include marketing campaigns andfeatures in merchandising marketing, scheduling of objects to bedisplayed, behavior-driven targeting of marketing material to a user,and profile-driven targeting of the marketing material to a user.Examples of marketing campaigns and features which may be included asmarketing attributes include the following:

Ad Banner

Catalog Promotion

Category Dependent Content

Category List

Category Path

Category Promotion

Co-Marketed Item

Co-Marketing

Content Detail

Cross Sell

Daily Promotion

Event Promotion

General Promotion

Gift Center

Holiday Promotion

Impulse Buy

Item Content

Item Detail

Monthly Promotion

Most Visited Category

Navigation Focus

New Product Introduction

On Sale

Search Results

Service Content

Service Cross Sell

Service Item Cross Sell

Service Promotion

Service Up Sell

Show Profile

Theme Dependent Content

Theme Park

Theme Path

Theme Promotion

Theme Service

Up Sell

Weekly Promotion

A marketing attribute may be selected to be associated with theparticular marketing object container (step 304).

Marketing objects that are compatible with the selected marketingattribute are then presented (step 306). An example of a marketingobject that is compatible with a selected marketing attribute may be acamera that is within a selected marketing campaign of Christmas giftsto be displayed in the month of December.

One or more or the presented marketing objects are then selected forinsertion into the marketing object container shown on the web page(step 308). In this manner, a web page is dynamically changed bychanging the marketing objects of a marketing object container withinthe web page without changing the rest of the web page.

FIGS. 4 a-4 b are flow diagrams describing an example of a processoccurring in connection with the template processing engine 208 of FIG.2. Initially, a web page is set up incorporating marketing objectcontainers (step 400). A site visitor accesses the web server (step404). The web page, including the marketing object containers, are thenpresented (step 406). A container identification (ID) associated withthe selected marketing object container is automatically input into theserver, such as production server 212 of FIG. 2 (step 410). The serverthen returns display object data for the selected marketing objectcontainer and invokes a style template (step 412). The templateprocessing engine, such as the template processing engine 208 of FIG. 2,then fills in the marketing object data into the template in a readableformat, such as hyper-text markup language (HTML) (step 416).

It is determined whether the site visitor is a site manager (step 418).The site manager may be anyone who is authorized to change or create theweb page. If the site visitor is not a site manager, then the website isdisplayed in the form that it would be displayed to a shopper (step420). If, however, the site visitor is a site manager (step 418), thenthe website that is normally displayed to a shopper is displayed withthe addition of marketing object container icons (step 422). In additionto the marketing object container icons, a workspace associated with theselected icons may also be presented. Alternatively, a workspace may behyperlinked to a selected icon. An example of such a website is shown inFIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is an example of a web page as shown to someone authorized tochange the web page according to an embodiment of the present invention.The website 500 is shown to include a web page 502 and a managementworkspace 504. The web page includes marketing object containers 508a-508 b and marketing object container icons 506 a-506 b. When amarketing object container icon is selected, the workspace 504 may showinformation related to the marketing object container associated withthe selected icon.

Once the website with the marketing object container icons are displayed(step 422 of FIG. 4 b), marketing objects, such as items offered forsale, may be associated with the selected campaign (step 424). In theexample shown in FIG. 5, the item 516 that is selected is a Canoncamera. The campaign 516 that is selected is a weekly promotion. Theitem 516 may be added 518 a, deleted 518 b, or edited 518 c.

A marketing attribute may be associated with a selected marketing objectcontainer (step 426). In the example shown in FIG. 5, the marketingobject container 508 b may be selected by selecting the container icon506 b associated with the container 508 b. When a marketing objectcontainer is selected, the management workspace 504 displays attributesassociated with the selected marketing object container 508 b. In thisexample, the attributes include the container ID 510, the containerstyle 512, the campaign type 514 associated with the container 508 b,and an offer or multiple offers 516 associated with the container 508 b.A user can select a predetermined attribute by viewing options byselecting a type of attribute. For example, the user may select theattribute “style” 512 and see predetermined options such as weeklyspecial, daily special, holiday special, etc.

A style may also be selected for the marketing object container (step428). Although a style is a marketing attribute, a style is preferablyselected for the marketing object container in addition to otherattributes. Accordingly, in the example shown in FIG. 5, a Canon cameramay be shown in a style defined by “weekly specials” in a campaignentitled “weekly promotion”. For example, the marketing object container508 b may display a Canon camera 516 in a presentation style whichincludes a blue background with text at the bottom below the Canoncamera.

FIGS. 6 a-6 b are flow diagrams further describing events between steps410-412 of FIG. 4A which can occur in the production server, such asproduction server 212 of FIG. 2.

A marketing object container ID is input into the server (step 600).Step 600 is equivalent to step 410 of FIG. 4 a. A feature bindingassociated with the selected marketing object container is thendetermined (step 602). An example of a feature binding table is shown inFIG. 7 a. The feature binding table of FIG. 7 a shows a marketing objectcontainer ID such as ID “102”, and a feature associated with thatmarketing object container ID, such as cross sell.

It is then determined which offers are associated with the selectedfeatures (step 604). FIG. 7 b shows an example of a feature table whichlists offers associated with a particular feature. In this example, theselected feature is a cross sell. Assume that the current item beingdisplayed is a Canon camera. The offers 700 associated with the selectedfeature, “cross sell”, for the current item “canon camera” are “camerapouch” and “slide pager”. The relationship between the “current item”and the featured item is illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 shows an example of relationships between items according to anembodiment of the present invention. In this example, the item “camera”900 has or includes a Canon camera 902 as well as a Nikon camera 904.The “current item” of the example shown in FIG. 7 b is the Canon camera902. The remaining items, the Nikon camera 904, the camera bag 908, and“how to select zoom lens” 906 are all defined in terms of the “currentitem”, in this case the Canon camera 902. In this example, the Nikoncamera 904 is an up sell of the Canon camera 902, the camera bag 908 isa cross sell of the Canon camera 902, and the “how to select zoom lens”906 is a product literature of the Canon camera 902. Further details ofthe relationships between items are later discussed in conjunction withFIG. 11.

Moving back to FIG. 6, a style template ID associated with the selectedfeature is also determined (step 606). The style template ID identifiesa style associated with the selected feature. For example, for thefeature “cross sell”, the style template may be the same style as thecurrent item, the Canon camera, such that the background of the crosssell item is blue with text located below the offered item.

An offer is then selected (step 608). Although in the example shown inFIG. 7 b an offer is shown to be an item for sale, an offer cangenerally be a product or a service offered for sale or lease orlicense.

It is then determined whether there is a time schedule associated withthe selected offer (step 610). If there is a time schedule associatedwith the selected offer (step 610) then it is determined whether theoffer's schedule is within the current time frame (step 612). Examplesof the schedules associated with an offer are shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is another example of a feature table, specifically for crosssell. In this example, the feature is “cross sell” and the “currentitem” identifies the offer to which the cross sell item is related. Forexample, the item “leather photo/audio pouch” is a cross sell item to“Canon EOS Rebel G with Tamron 28-80 MM zoom lens”. A starting timeassociated with a cross sell item “leather phone/audio pouch” is Jun.10, 1999 at 10 p.m. and ending time is Jul. 10, 2001 at 10 p.m. Duringthe time between the starting time and the ending time, the leatherphoto/audio pouch will be used as a cross sell item to the Canon camera.This cross sell item is associated with a marketing object container ID“410” and “10011203” in this example.

If there is no time schedule associated with the selected offer (step610), or the offer's schedule is within the current time frame (step612), then it is determined whether other condition rules are matched(step 614). Examples of other condition rules include whether the user'sbehavior matches the selected offer for offers associated with apredetermined behavior pattern and whether the user profile matches theoffer's targeting group. If these other condition rules do not matchwith the selected offer (step 614) or if the offer's schedule is notwithin the current time frame (step 612), then it is determined whetherthis offer is the last offer in a pool of offers (step 618).

If the selected offer matches the other conditions (step 614), then theoffer is added to a candidate pool of offers (step 616). It is thendetermined whether this offer was the last offer of the possible offers(step 618). If this offer is not the last offer, then the next offer isselected for evaluation (step 620). Thereafter, it is determined whetherthere is a time schedule associated with this selected offer (step 610of FIG. 6 a).

If this offer was the last offer (step 618), then it is determinedwhether a capacity associated with the marketing object container isgreater or equal to the number of offers in the candidate pool (step622). If the marketing object container capacity is greater or equal tothe number of offers in the candidate pool, then all candidates in thepool are displayed (step 624). If, however, the marketing objectcontainer capacity is less than the number of candidates in thecandidate pool (step 622) then it is determined which offer or offers inthe candidate pool to display (step 626). Examples of methods which maybe used to determine which offers to display include rotation, (roundrobin), priority (wherein some offers are at a higher priority thanothers), impression based, or random. An example of an impression-basedmethod is pulling up a first offer and displaying it 10,000 times, thenafter the 10,000^(th) display, pull up the second offer and show it5,000 times, etc. The objects associated with selected offers are thendisplayed in the marketing object container (step 628).

In this manner, dynamic binding occurs in a web page such that themarketing objects of the marketing object containers are dynamicallychanged so that the content shown through the marketing objectcontainers can be changed without affecting the rest of the web page.

FIG. 10 shows an example of dynamic binding according to an embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 10 shows an example of “hard coded”software codes describing a marketing object container, referred tounder a brand name called “VShelf”. The codes indicate a variable, suchas a number, which identifies the particular marketing object container.For example, “VShelf‘101’” might indicate the marketing object container508 b of FIG. 5. The number “101” can be the marketing object containerID, for example. This marketing object container ID may be associated ina feature binding table such as the feature binding table shown in FIG.7 a, with a feature such as cross sell. The identified featureassociated with the particular marketing object container may have anitem, such as item 700 of FIG. 7 b, associated with that particularmarketing object container.

The hard coding identifying each of the marketing object containers doesnot need to be changed when a change in the marketing objects of themarketing object container is desired. When the binding of marketingobjects to the variable “101” is changed, the effective result of“Vshelf ‘101’” is changed. For example, if item 700 of FIG. 7 b ischanged from “camera bag” to “camera lens”, then the marketing objectcontainer 508 b of FIG. 5 changes from showing an image of a camera bagfor sale to a camera lens for sale despite still having the samehardcoded instruction.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for describing interrelationships between marketingobject containers. A qualified user, such as a site manager, selects afirst marketing object container (step 1100). For example, a marketingobject container such as container 508 b of FIG. 5 may be selected. Theuser then selects “Current Item” on a feature list (step 1102). Thecurrent item is whatever item the user selects to offer as a mainproduct in a marketing object container. The feature list is a list ofall possible campaign features. The feature list can be presented to theuser at the management console, such as management workspace 504 of FIG.5, as a pull-down list so that the user can click and make a selection.

The first marketing object container is then automatically designated asa master container for this particular web page (step 1104). The mastercontainer is the container to which other containers of the same pageare referenced. For example, the other containers on the web page may bereferenced in conjunction to the master container on the same web pagesuch that the other containers may be considered a cross sell item, anup sell item, or product literature associated with the item in themaster container.

A second marketing object container is then selected (step 1106). Theselected second marketing object container is then automaticallydesignated as a slave (step 1108). The marketing object of the slavecontainer is referenced in relation to the master container. Forexample, if container 508 b of FIG. 5 is the master container of the webpage 502 and container 508 a is the slave container of web page 502,then assuming that the master container 508 b shows a current item of aCanon camera as shown in FIG. 8, the marketing object of slave container508 a of FIG. 5 is referenced in relation to the Canon camera shown inthe master container 508 b. For example, the slave container 508 a maybe defined as a cross sell item to the master container 508 b so thatthe slave container 508 a shows a camera bag which is considered a crosssell item in relation to the current item in the master container 508 b,the Canon camera.

A feature binding is then determined for the second marketing container(step 1110). As previously discussed, an example of a feature bindingtable is shown in FIG. 7 a.

A feature table is then looked up and related items for the determinedfeature are then identified (step 1112). Accordingly, when a feature isassociated with the selected marketing object container, then thefeature table is then referenced, such as the feature table shown inFIG. 7 b, to determine an item 700 related for the determined feature,such as cross sell. Thereafter, the flow diagram in FIG. 6 a may bereferenced to determine whether a time schedule is associated with theselected offer (step 610). The remaining method as shown in FIGS. 6 aand 6 b may be followed.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation using amanagement console. A marketing object container icon is selected (step1200). It is then determined whether the selected marketing objectcontainer is empty (step 1202). If it is empty, then a campaign type orfeature is selected (step 1204). For example, the campaign type 514 ofFIG. 5 is shown to be a weekly promotion. When a marketing objectcontainer icon, such as icons 506 a and 506 b of FIG. 5, is selected,the management workspace 504 is presented to the user. The managementworkspace can offer selections such as the campaign type 514.

The user may also select a style and reselect a campaign type or featureif the user prefers to change a current style or feature, or if themarketing object container is empty (step 1206). The user may add,remove, or edit offers, (step 1208). In the example shown in FIG. 5, theoffers for the selected campaign includes a Canon camera 516. Theseoffers can be removed or edited, or a new offer added, through variousinput methods, such as selecting an option through a pull-down menu orthrough the add/del/edit buttons shown in FIG. 5.

A capacity and display mode of a marketing object container may also beselected by the user (step 1210). An example of container capacityincludes the number of items that can be displayed at a given time in aselected marketing object container. For example, three different itemsmay be offered in a single marketing object container at any given timeif the user selects three for the container capacity. Examples ofdisplay mode include simultaneous display of the selected items, ormultiple items to be displayed one at a time based on a displayschedule.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation using a stagingserver. A web page is created/edited/deleted as previously discussed inconjunction with the previous figures (step 1300). The change to the webpage is then submitted to a supervisor (step 1302). It is thendetermined whether the supervisor approves the change (step 1304). Ifthe supervisor does not approve of the change to the web page, then thechanges are not implemented (step 1306). If, however, the changes areapproved, then the production server is updated for all the changes andthe changes are implemented (step 1308). In the example shown in FIG. 2,the user would make changes to a web page via the web server 204 and themanagement console 214. The changes would be forwarded to the stagingserver 210 so that the changes can be simulated without beingimplemented. If the changes are approved by a supervisor, then thechanges may be updated from the staging server 210 to the productionserver 212 and implemented such that the shopper 200 can view thechanges.

FIG. 14 is a system architectural diagram of another embodiment of thepresent invention for providing a marketing presentation. The example inFIG. 14 is similar to that shown in FIG. 2 with the exception of thetemplate processing engine 208′ being accessed through the Internet 250by one or more web servers 204 a-204 b and adapters 206 a-206 b. In thisembodiment, multiple shoppers 200 a-200 b can access multiple webservers 204 a-204 b that are, for example, owned or controlled byparties independent of the party controlling the rest of thearchitecture 260.

In this manner, a marketing object container may be controlled by aparty controlling the primary architecture 260 but displayed on a thirdparty web server 204 a-204 b. Likewise, although shoppers 200 a-200 baccess other companies' web servers 204 a-204 b, they can interact andview marketing material controlled by the owner of the primaryarchitecture 260.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of a method according to another embodiment ofthe present invention for providing a marketing presentation. Theexample of the method shown in FIG. 15 may be used in conjunction withthe architecture shown in FIG. 14.

A marketing object container is rented out to a first party wherein themarketing object container is presented in a web page controlled by asecond party (step 1400). The first party associates an attribute withthe marketing object container (step 1402). The first party selects amarketing object or objects for insertion into the marketing objectcontainer (step 1404). The attribute and selected marketing object (s)are sent to be associated with the marketing object container andautomatically presented on the web page (step 1406).

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a method according to another embodiment ofthe present invention for providing a marketing presentation. The methodshown in FIG. 16 may also be used in conjunction with the architectureshown in FIG. 14. A first marketing object container associated with afirst party is provided (step 1500). For example, assume that a firstmarketing object container is associated with a party who controls theprimary architecture 260 of FIG. 14. The first marketing objectcontainer is associated with a first website wherein the first websiteis associated with a second party (step 1502). Although the firstmarketing object container is associated with the first party, it may bedisplayed through web server 204 a, for example, which may be controlledby a second party.

A second marketing object container is also associated with a secondwebsite wherein the second marketing object container is associated withthe first party and the second website is associated with a third party(step 1504). In the example shown in FIG. 14, the second marketingobject container is associated with the party who controls the primaryarchitecture 260 but it is associated with the second website, such asweb server 204 b, which is controlled by a third party.

A marketing attribute is associated with the first marketing objectcontainer and the marketing attribute is automatically associated withthe second marketing object container (step 1506). When a marketingobject or objects are selected for insertion in the first marketingobject container, the selected marketing object (s) is automaticallyinserted into the second marketing object container (step 1508).

For example, if Wall Mart controls the primary architecture 260 of FIG.14, it can rent out a first marketing object container accessiblethrough the web server 204 a, controlled by Yahoo. Wall Mart can alsolease a second marketing object container which is accessible throughweb server 204 b and controlled by Amazon. When Wall Mart associates amarketing attribute, such as an item for sale presented in a particularstyle to be presented through the first marketing object containerviewed through a Yahoo web page, then the second marketing objectcontainer viewed through an Amazon web page is also automaticallychanged to present the same item in the same style.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram according to another embodiment of the presentinvention for providing a marketing presentation. The method shown inFIG. 17 may also be used in conjunction with the architecture shown inFIG. 14.

A first marketing object container is rented out to a first party,wherein the first marketing object container is presented in a first webpage controlled by a second party (step 1600). A second marketing objectcontainer is also rented out to the first party, wherein the secondmarketing object containers is presented in a second web page controlledby a third party (step 1602). The first party associates an attributewith the first marketing object container and the same attribute isautomatically associated with the second marketing container (step1604). The first party selects a marketing object (s) for insertion intothe first marketing object container (step 1606). The selected marketingobject (s) is automatically inserted into the second marketing objectcontainer (step 1608).

Accordingly, the marketing presentation can be managed by a serviceprovider. In this example, at least some of the users can be unrelated,and the unrelated users are only allowed access to their own marketingpresentations. The service provider can generate profits in variousways. For example, the service provider can receive a commission basedon revenue generated by a user's marketing presentation. Alternatively,the service provider can receive a commission based on revenue generatedby a user's marketing presentation. The service provider can alsoreceive fees from users for hosting their marketing presentations.

A method and system for providing a marketing presentation has beendisclosed. Software written according to the present invention may bestored in some form of computer-readable medium, such as memory orCD-ROM, or transmitted over a network, and executed by a processor.

Although the present invention has been described in accordance with theembodiment shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that there could be variations to the embodiment and thesevariations would be within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

1. A method of providing an electronic marketing presentation,comprising: displaying a first marketing object container, said firstmarketing object container including a location for receiving at leastone marketing object to be presented in said first marketing containerto a user of an interactive medium; associating a marketing attributewith the first marketing object container; selecting a plurality ofmarketing objects to be associated with the first marketing objectcontainer, the marketing attribute being configured for determiningwhich of the selected marketing objects is associated with the firstmarketing object container at a particular time; and inserting theselected marketing objects in the first marketing object container basedon a second marketing object of a second marketing object container. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a marketing objectcontainer icon, wherein an option associated with the first marketingobject container is presented when the icon is selected.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising presenting a plurality of marketingobjects that are compatible with the selected attribute.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising associating an item with the marketingattribute.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one marketingobject is displayed after it has been approved.
 6. A method of creatinga marketing presentation in a display medium, comprising: defining thelocation and size of a first marketing object container in the displaymedium; associating a marketing attribute with the first marketingobject container, the marketing attribute including parameters thatdefine how the first marketing object container can be used in amarketing presentation; receiving subsequently from a user a selectionof the first marketing object container and at least a first marketingobject to be displayed in the first marketing object container; bindingthe first marketing object to the first marketing object container; anddisplaying the first marketing object in the first marketing objectcontainer in accordance with the parameters of the marketing attributeand responsive to the presence of a second marketing object in a secondmarketing object container.
 7. A method of creating a marketingpresentation in an interactive medium, comprising: displaying amarketing object container on a display medium; in response to aselection of the marketing object container, displaying a number ofcampaigns that are available to associate with the marketing objectcontainer, each of said campaigns being associated with a plurality ofoffers compatible with the campaign; receiving a selection of a campaignto apply to the marketing object container; displaying the plurality ofoffers that are compatible with the selected campaign; and receiving aselection of at least one offer for placing in the marketing objectcontainer.
 8. A system of providing an electronic marketingpresentation, comprising: a processor configured to display a pluralityof marketing object containers, each of said plurality of marketingobject containers including a location for receiving at least onemarketing object to be presented by means of said marketing container toa user of an interactive medium; the processor also being configured tofacilitate associating a marketing attribute with the marketing objectcontainer; and selecting a first of the plurality of marketing objectsfor display within a first marketing object container of the pluralityof marketing object containers responsive to a second of the pluralityof marketing objects; and a memory coupled with the processor, thememory being configured to provide the processor with instructions.
 9. Acomputer readable medium including a computer program, the computerprogram comprising: computer code configured for displaying a firstmarketing object container; computer code configured for associating amarketing attribute with the first marketing object container; andcomputer code configured for selecting a plurality of marketing objects;computer code configured for determining a first marketing object fordisplay, within the marketing object container, to a user of aninteractive medium, the first marketing object being one of theplurality of marketing objects, the determination being responsive tothe marketing attribute and to a second marketing object containerconfigured to display a second marketing object.
 10. The computerreadable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer readable medium isselected from the group consisting of CD-ROM, floppy disk, tape, flashmemory, system memory, hard drive, and data signal embodied in a carrierwave.
 11. A method of providing an electronic marketing presentation,comprising: displaying a first marketing object container, said firstmarketing object container including a location for receiving at leastone marketing object to be displayed within said first marketingcontainer to a user of an interactive medium; associating a marketingattribute with the first marketing object container; selecting aplurality of marketing objects for association with the first marketingobject container; and determining a first marketing object for displayat the receiving location of the first marketing object container, thedetermination being responsive to the associated marketing attribute andto a second marketing object of a second marketing object container. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting a plurality ofmarketing attributes associatable with the first marketing objectcontainer.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising associating astyle template with the first marketing object container.
 14. The methodof claim 13, further comprising filling in an object into the styletemplate.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting astyle for the first marketing object container.
 16. The method of claim11, wherein the first marketing object container is dynamicallyassociated with the marketing attribute.
 17. The method of claim 11,wherein the marketing attribute describes a feature of the firstmarketing object container.
 18. The method of claim 11, furtherincluding setting a value of the marketing attribute, wherein the valuedescribes a feature of the first marketing object container.
 19. Amethod of providing an electronic marketing presentation, comprising:displaying a first marketing object container; associating a marketingattribute with the first marketing object container; selecting aplurality of marketing objects; and determining a first marketing objectfor display within the marketing object container to a user of aninteractive medium, the first marketing object being one of theplurality of marketing objects, the determination being responsive tothe marketing attribute and to a second marketing object containerconfigured to display a second marketing object.
 20. The method of claim19, further comprising associating a feature with the first marketingobject container.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the feature is across sell.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the feature is an upsell.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the feature is a productliterature.
 24. The method of claim 20, further comprising associatingthe first marketing object with the feature.
 25. The method of claim 19,wherein the first marketing object container is dynamically associatedwith the first marketing object.
 26. The method of claim 19, wherein theplurality of marketing objects is selected to be associated with thefirst marketing object container, and wherein the marketing attributedetermines which of the selected marketing objects is associated withfirst the marketing object container at a particular time.
 27. Themethod of claim 26 wherein the selected marketing objects are associatedwith the first marketing object container according to a schedule. 28.The method of claim 26 wherein the selected marketing objects areinserted in the first marketing object container based on the secondmarketing object of the second marketing object container.
 29. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the marketing attribute is configured todescribe a relationship of the first marketing object container with thesecond marketing object container.
 30. The method of claim 19, whereinthe marketing attribute is configured to describe what objects can beassociated with the first marketing object container.
 31. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the marketing attribute is configured to describetiming and priority of the display of marketing objects to be associatedwith the first marketing object container.
 32. The method of claim 31,wherein the timing is on a daily, weekly, monthly or holiday basis. 33.The method of claim 19, wherein the marketing attribute includes amarketing campaign.
 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the marketingcampaign includes a banner ad campaign.
 35. The method of claim 33,wherein the marketing campaign includes a banner ad campaign, a crosssell campaign, an event promotion campaign, a holiday promotioncampaign, a weekly promotion campaign, an up-sell campaign, or a newproduct introduction campaign.
 36. The method of claim 19, wherein themarketing attribute is associated with the first marketing objectcontainer prior to determining a first marketing object for display. 37.The method of claim 19, further including setting a value of themarketing attribute, wherein the value describes the first marketingobject container as having a feature selected from a set consisting ofcross sell, daily promotion, holiday promotion, on sale, item detail,and up sell.
 38. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting a pluralityof marketing objects is responsive to a feature of the marketing objectcontainer described by the marketing attribute.